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Monday, December 03, 2012 | Posted by
kara-karina@Nocturnal Book Reviews

The Emperor's Conspiracy by Michelle Diener

Egalley courtesy of Gallery BooksSynopsis from GoodreadsFrom
nineteenth-century London’s elegant ballrooms to its darkest slums, a
spirited young woman and a nobleman investigating for the Crown unmask a
plot by Napoleon to bleed England of its gold.

Chance
led to Charlotte Raven’s transformation from chimney sweep to wealthy,
educated noblewoman, but she still walks a delicate tightrope between
two worlds, unable to turn her back on the ruthless crime lord who was
once her childhood protector.

When Lord Edward Durnham is tapped
to solve the mystery of England’s rapidly disappearing gold, his search
leads him to the stews of London, and Charlotte becomes his intriguing
guide to the city’s dark, forbidding underworld. But as her involvement
brings Charlotte to the attention of men who have no qualms about who
they hurt, and as Edward forges a grudging alliance with the dangerous
ghosts of Charlotte’s former life, she faces a choice: to continue
living in limbo, or to close the door on the past and risk her heart and
her happiness on an unpredictable future.

9/10

What a fabulous book! I haven't enjoyed historical fiction that much since... You know, I can't even remember.

Straight from the beginning this is non-stop action full of mystery and fantastic characterization. I think, the main heroine, Charlotte Raven is the one who made this book. Who owned this book.

She is pure kickass awesomeness. This is no wishy-washy simpering miss, who cries and thinks about her feelings way too much because she hasn't had anything else to worry about.

Charlotte grew up a chimney boy in the rookeries of London until at the age of twelve she stuck in the chimney of a noble but lonely lady and became her ward. Her arms are scarred, her mind is sharp and coldly rational, her best friend Luke grew up a psychotic crime lord of London area close to Mayfair. She can't let go of the friendship and she can't break his obsessive hold over her. Her admirers or people troubling her keep ending up dead and Charlotte learned to stay away from any sort of relationship until she saves Emma, another aristocratic lady from her husband's machinations and meets her handsome brother.

Edward is an agent of the Crown in the middle of an investigation of a huge conspiracy involving members of the ton. Emma's new friend with her detached ways and sharp mind surprises him and he decides to find out more about her which puts him on Luke's radar.

Now both Charlotte and Edward has to work on not getting him killed by her overprotective ex-lover and end up unravelling the mysterious conspiracy together.

Charlotte's mind was a fascinating and dark place. She is a ruthless and very practical woman, she stands her ground in the rookeries against Luke's heavy handedness and in the middle of a Society ball. She is quick and knows how manipulate situation towards her advantage, she doesn't hesitate to strike, to act, and frankly I read about her with growing sense of admiration.

Luke is just as amazing, and I love a bit of genuine psychotic character in fiction. All the more interesting to see what makes them tick, right? You end up feeling the same way as Charlotte about him - afraid, exhilarated and deeply sympathetic.

Overall, this book flows really well and reads in one go, you live and breathe it until it ends. There is no happy ending, instead the author makes you wonder what would happen next with the characters. However, I didn't find it irritating and only hope that there will be a next book ahead.

Vika is reading

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